"Need a reason to impress that X-Box lover friend of yours who thinks that Nintendo sucks? Look no further"

Nintendo is known for quality games, and Super Smash Bros. Melee is no different. The original on the N64 haved fans begging for a sequel. Now we have Super Smash Bros. Melee, which in my personal opinion, is one of the best Nintendo games ever! If you loved the original, you will be stunned when you pop that mini-disc and see all what you can do in this sequel. It's so good, I even reccommend you to stop reading this review and go out buy this game NOW! If you still want to know what the buzz is all about, read the review...

The Super Smash Bros. games are a different type of take on the fighting genre. Unlike in other fighters where you have to drain the opponent's energy bar until it's empty, in the Super Smash Bros games you have to smack-dab your opponent to raise it's percentage bar. When it's raised enough(Around 100% or 200%), you must use a ''Smash'' move(Performed by the A button) to knock the opponent out of the arena. Of course, the opponent will try to do the same on you, and you have a arsenal of items which vary from Nintendo games to make it easier. The ultimate multiplayer party indeed...

You can choose from 12 different Nintendo characters to duke it out, all from the original return(Yup, Luigi and Jigglypuff return as hidden characters) and some new Nintendo contenders. The list of playable characters from the start are:

Aside from the 14(Sixteen if you count the transformation between Zelda and Sheik and the Ice Climber duo), you can unlock more. It's up to you to flush them out!

How does this game look? Well, for a small cube system, this game looks BEAUTIFUL! Sure, you heard many people say this about the game, but it's worth mentioning again. And when you see the game in action in your own two eyes, you will be saying that too. Aside from the marvelous visual update, the items you use are no longer 2-D blobs that don't have 3-D exteriors when you circle the camera while the game is paused. The only thing without a 3-D exterior is the shield, but still, the game looks jaw-dropping awesome!

The sound is another marvelous improvement. From brand new performances to re-mixes of the original SSB tunes, the tunes of each level fit the game.

But what will have you hooked time to time again is the endless replay value, whether you play it in single or multi player. In the original, you would get bored time to time if you played alone. But wait until you see what you can do with only one controller plugged in! You can advance through the brand new mode ''Adventure'', where you have to fight your way through 3-D recreations of classic levels from various Nintendo levels. And like in the nintendo games at the end(At least the Mario games), you will have to face off Bowser. But if you just want to pick on your least favorite Nintendo characters without having to fight your way through a level, there's the Classic 1-player mode where you have to defeat the opponents to work your way up to the Master Hand(Yup, he's back!) again.

You can also play on Event Mode, where you have to complete a certain objective while kicking your opponent's tush at the same time. Some vary from classic recreations(The first event is Mario vs. Bowser, the second oldest rivarly in the Nintendo book) to crazy challenges(Anybody up to defeat Captain Falcon in less than seven seconds?) to specific objectives(You must protect the last unbroken Yoshi egg as Yoshi from three opponents who want to break it) to trophy challenges(Mmm.. wonder why does always one characters always have to wuss out and stand on the edge of the arena without fighting back on the second trophy challenge). As the event changes, so will the character you use. Some will have you using a specific character, and some will let you select the character you want to use.

Aside from that, there are many other ways to play alone. Here are some, but not all:

Target: Hit the 10 targets in the allotted time. The target arena varies depending the character you use. Sandbag: Smack Sandbag for a few seconds on a platform in a stadium then grab the bat and hold the right direction and the A button to send him flying as far as you can. 3-minute melee: How many foes can you defeat in 3 minutes? 100 man melee: A test of endurance as you try and defeat 100 foes without getting beaten yourself. Endless melee: This mode is a true test of endurance. The melee here won't stop until you get defeated. See how long you can stay on the arena before getting knocked 15 minutes or 15 hours later.

And don't forget the options in VS.Mode can be modified so you can set the opponents as CPU characters(You can also raise how intelligent they react). There are also many ways to play in VS.Mode alone.

However, you must realize sooner or later that the true pinnacle in the game is the multiplayer mode. If you have 1 or 3 extra controllers and 1 to 3 of your friends, then you will be having a blast with your buddies as you play hours and hours to the end. The possibilities you get just by playing alone are excellent, but imagine the possibilities if you had some friends to play with!

And let's not forget the 300(nearly) trophies you can collect with are based on Nintendo's past. Whoo boy! Get your memory card ready kids!

In short, move on to greener pastures if you didn't like the original. Everybody else, join the smashilific party!

HOW DOES THE SEQUEL SURPASS THE ORIGINAL?In more ways than you could possibly imagine! Literally!